CMU student, injured in wreck last month, dies

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Carnegie Mellon University said today it is planning a service for a sophomore who died this week from injuries he suffered in a car crash last month inside the Fort Pitt Tunnel.

Geoffrey Burns, 19, of Corona del Mar, Calif., was taken to UPMC Mercy after the Sept. 18 crash and died there Thursday, the Allegheny County medical examiner's office said. He was studying electrical and computer engineering as well as physics, said Dean of Student Affairs Gina Casalegno.

Counselors and therapists will be made available to grieving students and staff, she said in a university e-mail.

"Geoffrey was a bright student, capable of bringing clarity and simplicity to the most complex engineering and scientific problems," she said. "Geoffery dedicated himself to his academic passions as well as to the student organizations that fueled his multifaceted interests."

Ms. Casalegno said he was admired by faculty, one of whom recently remarked, "Brilliance is one thing. Goodness is another. Geoffrey had both."

Mr. Burns is survived by his father, Richard Burns, and a sister, Samantha Burns Brantley. The university is planning a "celebration of Geoffrey's life" in upcoming weeks.